January 31, 2013

Home Cooking: Fried Chicken and Bubbly

After watching the Top Chef fried chicken challenge last week, and thinking how Rowdyfood would have kicked ass on that challenge, I got the itch to make some fried chicken. I've become a fan of Thomas Keller'sAd Hoc Buttermilk Fried Chicken. The key to this tasty fried chicken is the 12 hour, lemony- salt-water brine that gives the chicken a deep herbal-lemony-saltiness and it also produces really juicy meat. After the brine, the chicken gets a flour dusting before being dipped in buttermilk and a last flouring. The chicken is crunchy, juicy, and just damn good.

And as I am wont to do, I paired the tasty fried bird with a bubbly. Trust me, pairing fried chicken and sparkling wine is the way to go. I got this tasty Cab Franc-based Loire Valley bubbly from my buddies at Le Caveau in Chamblee. A most excellent $20 sparkling wine.

One other point...deep frying in a wok is my new favorite deep-fry method. I got the idea from Kenji at Food Lab. A wok is a great choice for deep frying at home. The wider surface area provides room for the oil to splatter and expand without making a colossal mess, and risking a boil-over and burning your house down. If you've ever struggled with deep frying at home, as I once did, the wok is the answer.